Floating fountain



April 17, 1962 J. o. HRUB Y, JR 3,030,028

FLOATING FOUNTAIN Filed Oct. 15, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l I IN V EN TOR. JO HN 04 IIQUBY, tie.

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April 17, 1962 J. o. HRUBY, JR 3,030,028

FLOATING FOUNTAIN Filed Oct. 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 60 ya 20 l IN V EN TOR.

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ilnited rates i atent U 3,030,028 FLOATING FOUNTAEN John 0. Hruby. Jr., Burbank, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Rain Jet Corporation, Burbank, Calif., a corporation Filed Oct. 13, 1953, Ser. No. 766,803 4 Claims. (Ci. 23917) This invention relates to a fountain and to a fluid discharging device which is especially well suited for use as an ornamental fountain.

An object of this invention is to provide a fountain which floats upon the surface of a body of water, e.-g. swimming pool, lake, and garden pond.

Another object of this invention is to provide an im proved fluid discharging device having a rotatable stem and which sends out streams of fluid directed substantially axially of the device.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear during the course of the following part of this specification wherein the details of construction and mode of operation of a preferred embodiment are described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in section of a swimming pool having a fountain of this invention floating upon the surface of the water in the pool;

FIG. 2 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of the fountain taken in the direction of arrows 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a central longitudinal section on an enlarged scale through the water discharging device of the fountain taken on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fluid discharging device of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross sections on an enlarged scale taken along lines 55 and s4, respectively, of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown a swimming pool having a bottom 10, side wall ill, and a coping edge 12. The pool is filled with water 13, the surface of the water being designated by reference numeral 14. A fountain of this invention floats upon the surface of the water and is designated, generally, by reference numeral 15. v

Fountain 15 comprises a flat float 18 which may be formed of wood or of a hollow tank or other floatable material. Foam plastics are especially well suited for forming the float, inasmuch as sheets of foam plastics may be easily cut to form a floral design as shown in FIG. 2 as by making petals 19 stuck one upon another. The upper surface of the float is designated by reference numeral 20 and its lower surface by numeral 21. The float has an opening 22 extending axially therethrough for receiving a pipe 23. The lower end of the pipe has a female fitting 24 connected thereto for receiving a male fitting 25 on one end of a flexible hose 2d. The other end of the hose is adapted to be connected to a source 27 of water supply which may be located in the side wall or bottom of the pool, or the hose may be brought up over the edge 12 of the pool and connected to a water faucet near the pool. An anchor 28 may be secured to the hose for resting on the bottom of the pool to maintain the fountain floating in a desired limited area.

A fluid discharging device of this invention is mounted upon the upper end of the pipe 23, such device being designated, generally, by reference numeral 30. It comprises a tubular body 31 having a collar 32 around the upper end of the tubular portion of the body, the tubular portion being force-fitted or otherwise suitably secured in the collar. The collar is screw-threaded at 33 for positioning the same in a casting 34. The casting has a screwthreaded skirt portion 3'5 for fitting the casting and collar as a cap upon the upper end of the pipe 23. There is a counterbore 37 formed in the upper surface of the float 30 with respect to the axis of the stem.

3,030,028 Patented Apr. 17, 1952 ice and aligned with the float opening 22 for receiving an outwardly flanged portion 38 on the casting. A block 39 of wood or other suitable material is positioned around the pipe 23 to span the space betwen the undersurface of the float and the upper shoulder of the female fitting 24 thereby to secure the pipe and the discharge device in the float as by turning the casting down over the upper end of the pipe. Key-ways 41 are formed in the collar to accommodate a key (not shown) for turning the body into the casting.

Numeral 43 designates the inside wall of the body tube 31 defining the bore or cavity of the tube. There is a sleeve 44 which is force-fitted into the upper end of the body tube. Such a sleeve has an axial bore 45, the upper end of which defines a fluid discharge opening 46 for the body. At its lower end the body tube has a sleeve 48 force-fitted or otherwise suitably secured therein, the bore of the sleeve 48 being designated by numeral 49 and the lower annular end face of the sleeve being designated by numeral 50.

Arranged longitudinally in the cavity or bore of the body is a tubular stem '52 which extends outwardly of the discharge opening 46 and through the bore 49 of the lower sleeve. The stem is smaller in its outside diameter than the bore 45 of the upper sleeve while the bore 49 of the lower sleeve is large enough to accommodate rotation of the stern on its axis and suflicient inclination of the stem with respect to the axis of the body cavity to permit engagement of the stem with the walls which define the bore of the upper sleeve 44.

There is a collar 54 fixed around the lower end of the stem. Numeral 56 designates an annular end face or shoulder of the collar 54. In the illustrated embodiment the stem is movable longitudinally in the body cavity and is moved upwardly to the position thereof shown in FIG. 1 of the drawing by the force of water flowing through the fountain. Upward movement of the stem in the body is limited by engagement of the upper end face of collar 54 against the lower annular end face 50 of the lower sleeve. Y

Numeral 58 designates the axially extending passage or bore of the stem, the stem passage being open at its lower end as an inlet opening 59. There is a head 60 fixed upon the upper end of the stem and having outwardly diverging side walls 61 and a top surface 62. In the illustrated embodimentthe head is frusto-conical in configuration, and the slant of the side wall is; preferably less than An outlet passage 63 for the stem extends generally-axially through the head and may be inclined up to about 30 from the axis of the stem such that the outlet end of the outlet passage 63 is eccentric of the axis of rotation of the stem. The head is large enough in diameter so that when water to the fountain is turned oil, the stem will drop down in the tubular body to a position in which the head closes the discharge opening 46.

Formed in the side walls of the body is a plurality of apertures 66 for admitting water into the body cavity from the pipe 23. In the illustrated embodiment these apertures are formed as slits which extend longitudinally with respect to the sprinkler body. As best shown in FIG. 6 the slits extend through the side walls of the body at an angle with respect to the radii of the body cavity, thus causing streams of water to enter the body cavity and to impart rotation or upward spiral motion to the water in the body cavity.

The swirl of water upwardly in the body cavity causes the stem to gyrate within the body and rotate on its axis as is described in Letters Patent No. 2,639,191.

Water from the tubular body is discharged upwardly as an outside stream 68 for the fountain, such outside stream being deflected slightly radially outwardly trom the stem by the side walls of the head 69 of the stem. The center stream 69 of the fountain is sent out through the outlet port 63 of the stem.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claim and so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus.

What I claim is:

1. A fluid discharging device comprising a body having an outer end and an inner end and inside walls defining a cavity extending in the body, the cavity being open in the outer end of the body thereby to define a fluid outlet opening, an elongated tubular stem having an inner end and an outer end, the stem being disposed longitudinally in the cavity with the outer end of the stem extending outwardly beyond the outlet opening, the stem having a diameter appreciably smaller than said outlet opening, means on the stem engageable with the body to maintain the stem against being driven out through the outlet opening, the stem being rotatable onits axis and adapted to gyrate in the body with the axis of the stern being inclined with respect to the axis of the outlet opening, fluid passage means formed in the body for imparting rotary motion to fluid in the body cavity thereby to rotate the stem on its axis, the stem having a fluid inlet opening formed therein proximate its inner end, the outer end of the stem having a fluid outlet passage formed therein, said outlet passage being directed generally axially of the stem and having an outlet end opening eccentric of the axis of rotation of the stem for sending a stream of water outwardly from the device.

2. A water fountain comprising a body having an up per end and a lower end and inside walls defining a cavity extending in the body, the cavity being open in the upper end of the body thereby to define a fluid outlet opening, an elongated tubular stem having a lower end and an upper end, the stem being disposed longitudinally in the cavity with the upper end of the stem extending upwardly beyond the outlet opening, the stem having a diameter appreciably smaller than said outlet opening, means on the stem engageable with the body to maintain the stern against being driven out through the outlet opening, the stem being rotatable on its axis and adapted to gyrate in the body with the axis of the stem being inclined with respect to the axis of the outlet opening, fluid passage means formed in the body for imparting rotary motion to fluid in the body cavity thereby to rotate the stem on its axis, the stem having a fluid inlet opening formed therein proximate its lower end, the upper end of the stem having a fluid outlet passage formed therein, said outlet passage being directed generally axially of the stem and having an outlet end opening eccentric of the axis of rotation of the stem for sending a stream of Water upwardly from the fountain.

3. A fountain to float upon water comprising a float, the float having an opening extending therethrough and disposed so that when the float is upon the water the axis of the opening will be substantially vertical, :1 water discharge device in said opening and supported by the float, said device being adapted to be connected to a flexible hose in the Water for receiving water from the hose, said device having a cavity formed therein and an upwardly disposed discharge opening for the cavity, a rotatable tubular stem in the cavity and extending in an outer end portion thereof through said discharge opening, the device having ports formed therein for accommodating flow of water from the hose to the cavity and out through the discharge opening, means in the body for imparting rotation to the stem, the stem having an inlet opening and having an outlet passage directed generally axially in the outer end portion of the stem and with the outlet end of said passage being eccentric of the axis of rotation of the stem for discharging water upwardly from the float.

4. A fountain comprising a flexible hose, a float having an undersurface, an anchor on the hose, the float having an opening extending therethrough, one end of the hose being connected to the float and leading from the undersurface of the float to provide for flow of water from the hose and through the float opening, a water discharge device secured in the upper end of the float opening, said discharge device having an upwardly disposed discharge opening formed therein, a rotatable stem extending through said discharge opening and having an outer end and an inner end, means on the stem for maintaining the stem against outward removal through the discharge opening, means operatively associated with the stem for imparting rotation to the stem, the stem having an inlet opening disposed within the float opening, the stem having an outlet passage formed in the outer end thereof and with the outlet end of said passage being eccentric of the axis of rotation of the stem for sending out a central stream of water substantially vertically from the float, the stem having a head on its outer end for deflecting water from said discharge opening slightly radially outwardly around said central stream.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,279,233 Bockmier Sept. 17, 1918 2,248,386 Richardson July 8, 1941 2,524,956 Brunetti Oct. 10, 1950 2,539,793 Pangborn Ian. 30, 1951 2,639,191 Hruby May 19, 1953 

